Al Gore, Mia Farrow, Hedley and world renowned leaders join 16,000 students in movement for global change at We Day – Access event photos at weday.com/press or watch the live webcast at weday.com – – Connect to the We Day movement #weday, @freethechildren @craigkielburger, www.facebook.com/weday – Winnipeg, MB (November 23, 2011) – Today, an epic line-up of iconic social activists and inspiring entertainers will take centre stage at the MTS Centre for the world‟s largest youth empowerment event of its kind – We Day. An annual initiative of international children‟s charity and educational partner, Free The Children, today‟s event will empower and show thousands of passionate youth from 400 schools they are not alone in their journey to make a difference and further ignite a youth-driven movement for global change. Hundreds of thousands more from around the world will join the We Day movement through watching the live stream of the event at www.weday.com starting at 9:45 a.m. CT. Leading the electric crowd will be We Day host and MuchMusic VJs Jesse Giddings and Sarah Taylor. To help them tackle some of the most pressing issues of today, youth and educators will have the opportunity to hear from world-renowned speakers like former U.S. Vice President and Nobel Laureate, Al Gore, award winning actress and activist, Mia Farrow, former Canadian Prime Minister and Founder of the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative, the Right Honourable Paul Martin, General Manager at Louis Riel Institute, the Education Authority for the Manitoba Metis Federation, Sharon Conway, former Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and special political liaison, Dennis White Bird, Munro Chambers and Aislinn Paul from the hit series DEGRASSI, local Winnipeger Hannah Taylor, teen community activist and founder of the Ladybug Foundation and Craig and Marc Kielburger, international children‟s rights activists and co-founders of Free The Children. Sharing their own personal journeys of overcoming obstacles will be Canadian Paralypian Rick Hansen and Me to We motivational speakers, former child soldier Michel Chikwanine and Spencer West. Pumping up the crowd with energizing performances will be multi-platinum, JUNO and MMVA Award winning recording artists, Hedley, JUNO Award nominated, MMVA winning Canadian band, Down With Webster, renowned Canadian band, Neverest, Canadian singer, songwriter, Sierra Noble and platinum selling, JUNO Award winning Canadian pop icon and producer, Shawn Desman. Shawn will also be leading this year‟s We Day dance and is offering students the opportunity to dance with him at We Day events across Canada through a video contest at www.AOL.ca/weday. “Youth coming together to lead global change is the movement of our time. We Day proves to youth that a better world is possible and they are not alone in their commitment to social justice,” said Craig Kielburger. “Though individual actions may seem small, if you shift your perspective you‟ll see that together the impact is huge. Last year alone these actions added up to 1.7 million volunteer hours logged and $5.4 million raised for more than 500 causes locally and globally. We Day is truly a movement and a force of social change.” According to Dave Rosin, guitar player for Hedley, “We Day is all about striving for change together by connecting with other students, speakers, and leaders from around the world.” Local Winnipeger Hannah Taylor agrees. "I'm joining in We Day because I believe in our generation's ability to care, share and make a difference in our world." We Day is made possible by the driving force of Winnipeg‟s community leaders including, Hartley Richardson, President & CEO, James Richardson & Sons Ltd., Bob Silver, President & CEO, Western Glove Works Ltd. and Mark Chipman, Chairman, True North Sports & Entertainment Ltd. Thanks to the generous support of sponsors like co-title sponsors RBC Royal Bank and Canad Inns, We Day is put on at no cost to students and educators in attendance. We Day is not just an event. Motivated by powerful speakers and performers, students take the messages learned at We Day back to their peers and begin planning their year of action through a unique educational program provided by Free The Children (www.freethechildren.com/weschools). Through the program they will pledge to take one local and one global action and will be able to see the positive results of their efforts during the school year. This unparalleled educational opportunity has led to increased student engagement in schools and communities and has contributed to a greater commitment to philanthropy, stronger academic achievement and caring school cultures. Beyond the classroom, everyone can join the We Day movement with one simple action. „Like‟ We Day on Facebook (www.facebook.com/weday) and join the over half a million others who receive daily tips and ideas on how to live „we‟ every day. Even better, for every „like‟ sponsors will donate $1 to Free The Children, up to $1 million dollars. We Day momentum continues to sweep the country stopping next at the Théâtre St-Denis in Montreal on February 29 and March 1, 2012. Note to Press: Visit the We Day online press room (www.weday.com/press) to: Access photos and video clips from today‟s event as of 3:30 p.m. CT Download high resolution photos of We Day speakers and performers Request an interview with Co-Founders of Free The Children, Craig and Marc Kielburger Access background information on We Day and Free The Children Web Links: Official We Day website: www.weday.com We Day on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/weday.com Free The Children website: www.freethechildren.com Live webcast: www.weday.com About We Day Youth coming together to lead global change is the movement of our time. We Day (www.weday.com) is the manifestation of this movement. Harnessing the energy and passion of this young community of change-makers, We Day brings youth together in an unparalleled setting to show them that they are not alone in their journey to make a difference. We Day is not just an event. It‟s a movement. We Day is part of an unparalleled educational opportunity called the We Schools in Action program. Throughout the year-long program, young people turn their inspiration into action by committing to take one local and one global action throughout the school year. In the 2010/2011 school year alone, youth volunteered 1.7 million hours in their communities and raised more than $5.4 million to support local and global organizations. We Day events are completely free of charge to students and educators, thanks to the support of generous sponsors who believe in the power of youth to change the world. We Day events will be held in Toronto, Vancouver, Waterloo Region, Winnipeg and Montreal throughout the 2011/2012 school year. About Free The Children Free The Children (www.freethechildren.com) is the world's largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded in 1995 by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, we are a charity and educational partner that believes in a world where all young people are free to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change. Our domestic programs educate, engage and empower hundreds of thousands of youth in North America, the UK and around the world. Our international projects have brought over 650 schools and school rooms to youth and provided clean water, health care and sanitation to one million people around the world. Free The Children has a proven track record of success. The organization has received the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child (also known as the Children's Nobel Prize), the Human Rights Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations, and has formed successful partnerships with leading school boards and Oprah's Angel Network. -30For more information or to speak with someone directly, please contact: Lauren Stasila Manager, PR & Publicity 416-558-9310 [email protected]